IT’S been quite a week for Scotland and quite an end to the Scottish parliamentary year.

Firstly, the announcement of a caring, sharing progressive Budget based on equality and fairness took the wind out of even the most reactionary politician, leaving the opposition scrabbling for anything to say.

The Scottish Government took the step that all their opponents claimed they wouldn’t dare to; they called the Tories’ bluff, reconstructed the tax bands, protected lower earners, raised income tax for the wealthier in society and made Scotland the most fairly taxed country in the whole of the UK.

And all of this was achieved with one hand tied behind their backs as the UK Government continues to slash the Scottish budget and holds on even tighter to reserved tax powers.

To suggest that this Budget stifled ambition and penalised hard-working earners on £33,000 and above was as petty as it was incorrect.

What the naysayers have failed to see is that for most Scots, it’s quite simple – give a little, get a lot back. Modest tax increases for the wealthier sections of Scottish society ensure our great public services flourish and provide free prescriptions, no tuition fees, free personal care, less crime and higher employment.

Also this week, Scotland welcomed its 2000th Syrian refugee to the country, hitting its target to provide homes for 2000 displaced Syrian people three years ahead of schedule.

Back in 2015, the Scottish Government made a firm commitment to take 10 per cent of the 20,000 refugees guaranteed resettlement in the UK over a five-year period through the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme.

Scotland has now accepted one in five of all Syrians who have arrived in the UK to escape the horror of war in their own country. All 32 Scottish councils agreed to help with resettlement, providing a warm welcome and vital support to help them rebuild their lives again in another country.

These two major achievements need to be shouted from the rooftops. Scotland is saying loud and clear on the world stage that we care about our people, and our country’s future and that we also care about the migrants and refugees who come to live in our country and we value their contribution.

We want to get the homeless off the street and give them a chance to rebuild their lives, we want to protect the disabled and treat them as equal partners in our society, to value and care for our elderly and to lift children out of poverty and give them hope and aspirations.

All this needs top-notch public services, properly funded to meet the complex needs of a small but growing country with innovative support for business and investment opportunities.

Did I mention the £600 million tagged to improve broadband coverage or our world-class renewable energy sector? Or, indeed, that fact that we are one of the best places to live in Europe if you’re LGBTI?

I almost feel sorry for the opposition parties who have been left with very thin pickings on which to base their carping.

By criticising the Scottish Government, they reveal their own weaknesses and baser instincts. When the Tories try to spin resentment by complaining certain sections of society are having to pay more in tax, they lose control of the narrative and look selfish and penny-pinching.

Don’t forget, this is the Tory party whose failure to protect the human rights of disabled people through their austerity measures was criticised by the UN, while their wealthy friends syphoned huge amounts of money into tax-dodging accounts abroad.

Similarly, when Labour wag their finger, they’re exposed for their own failure to make good on their promise of “for the many not the few”. In Labour-led Wales, tuition fees and the bedroom tax are everyday realities.

Meanwhile at Westminster, the Labour leadership clings on in totally baffling fashion to supporting what they must know is a damaging Brexit.

Scotland doesn’t want such a disastrous policy that will ruin our economy and nor do we support measures which protect the wealthy and abandon the vulnerable. We’ve not been afraid to go our own way and increasingly imagine a different existence outwith the Westminster norms.

Not everything is perfect in Scotland; we still have a long way to go. But somewhere along the way in the past 10 years of the SNP in government, we’ve brushed the chip off our shoulders almost without even noticing.

A thousand small changes have made us substantially and demonstrably different from our neighbours. We’ve already chosen a different path and we’re not going to turn back. The real battle is for Scotland and the real victory lies in how we have already transcended our experience.

The national conversation of how we’d like our country to look, regardless of whether we stay in the UK or not, has helped us embrace radical change and created a more progressive vision for our future. In a world where morality, responsibility and accountability have become meaningless words, it’s good to feel that one small country is at least trying to get it right. Merry Christmas Scotland and God bless everyone.